F.A.Q.

When and why did I become a writer?

I’ve written stories and poems for as long as I can remember. As a young child reading was a favoured pastime and books precious objects to be gained at each birthday or Christmas. I wrote for my family and I was lucky enough to have long suffering relatives who encouraged me. My grandmother told the whole family that,‘Libby will be a writer…’

Who are my favourite characters from my own books?

Are any of them real or based on real people? From my recent novels, I like Bernard from The Painter a story which is set in France. He’s a young boy I’ve imagined meeting the artist, Vincent Van Gogh. From the past, I choose Gladwyn, the enigmatic mother of Lara in Thunderwith, who is a difficult yet appealing character to me. Judy Davis played the perfect Gladwyn in the Hallmark movie of Thunderwith re-titled The Echo of Thunder. In a way you always need to be very involved in your main character in any novel you’re writing, living their life in your head, if they are to be convincing to the reader. My characters are not usually based on real people although I suppose characters can be a kind of‘pastiche’of several people you know. I’m not keen on the idea of‘preying’on friends and family but you are very much affected by events in your life and I draw on that emotional content from time to time.

What are my writing habits?

I don’t have any habits. Not interesting habits such as the French writer, Victor Hugo, who STOOD at his desk several hours a day–standing, he said, so he could concentrate better. I write wherever and whenever but I must say I prefer to be in my study that looks out onto a wild garden, and in front of my computer. However, I do keep notebooks which are peppered with thoughts, quotes, poems, lists and possible ideas for new novels. And I read a lot. I like to keep abreast of contemporary novels from all over the world (when I can get them in translation). I don’t need order or even quiet to write and maybe this is because I come from a largish family and had to learn to write with‘chaos’going on about me. This is quite individual because I know writers who cannot begin to write unless the computer and the curtain and their chair are at a certain angle, and absolute quiet prevails. However, it is true to say that it is certainly a habit of mine to try to write something every day.

Do I have any tips for younger writers?

Yes–
Write a lot!
Read a lot!
Dream a lot!

What is my favourite story?

For me, it’s usually the book or books I am working on at the moment. I’ve recently finished Wonderstop, the Tale of Two Wandering Wombats . I’ve recently completed Georgiana, Woman of Flowers, a historical novel which took over 6 years to complete and I’m collecting poetry for two anthologies I’m working on at present. My favourite stories to read for myself, apart from contemporary novels, are folk tales for their honesty and plainness. I like the diversity, richness, outright weirdness and thus the freshness of other cultures in story form. There’s much to be learned about good writing from folktales–and in any case I believe they answer some profound need in us for story.

Fact File

Born:Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Educated:Maroubra Junction Primary School, Sydney Girls’High School, Balmain Teachers’College, currently Macquarie University.
Currently lives:Sydney by a lovely park
Children:Lisa and Keiran, now grown up and who both live in Sydney
Pets:a cat called Tuppence
Past jobs:lab assistant, teacher, teacher-librarian, senior education officer, producer, antique-spotter
Hobbies and interests:books, films, magazines, the internet, antique-collecting, travel, gardening, poetry collections and biographies of artists of all kinds
Likes:generosity of spirit, poetry, fresh oysters, Asian food–Thai in particular
Dislikes:meanness of spirit, bright orange curtains, a house with no books